EA Sports announce changes to Career Mode on FIFA 20

For long Career Mode has been unchanged

Players of EA Sports' FIFA series have for long complained about the unchanged nature of the game's Career Mode. While online play and FIFA Ultimate Team have received attention from the game's developers, the Career Mode - many players' favourite mode to play - remained the same as it had for years. Indeed, recent editions of the game featured Career Modes which had fewer features than FIFA games from over a decade ago, in which you were offered the chance to update your team's stadium, change the club's sponsor and hire individual staff. In FIFA 20, it appears EA Sports are going some way to rectify this by announcing a host of new features and options for customisation, as well as an update to how players develop. Here are the key features that EA Sports that you'll want to know about if you're a fan of this mode.

Manager Customisation

While recent version of FIFA games saw you presented with a selection of around six template managers, ranging from late 30s to 70s, and given the choice of a suit, shirt or tracksuit, this new mode allows you to complete customise your manager how you see fit. You can still select from a template if you so wish, but can also edit from scratch, with options like body type, skin tone, clothing, and hairstyles. Players will also be able to create female managers in the game for the first time. This impacts gameplay in no real way, but it will add to the immersion for many players.

Interactive Press Conferences Influence Player Morale

The game features the addition of interactive press conferences, as have been seen in the game mode The Journey in previous iterations of the game. In a neat addition, when asked about a certain player - or whether you'll be signing new players - your answers, and the tone you use, will make an immediate impact on player morale.

Private Player Conversations

The consequences of your answers will affect morale, which can then impact your private conversations with the players in your squad. Again, it's as yet unknown just how much this affect gameplay - will players refuse to play for you, for example - or whether it is an addition that is mostly cosmetic.

League UI Themes

The bland presentation and unchanged display has annoyed players of FIFA for a number of years, but that will change slightly this year, at least for people playing with teams in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, LaLiga Santander, MLS, and UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. For those competitions the menu screen will have unique league user interface themes. Other new smaller changes, but ones which will likely improve the gameplay, are the ability to stop international job offers from the start, a fix to fixture congestion issues, and updated usage of the fourth substitute during extra-time in all competitions featuring the new law. It remains to be seen whether these changes placate fans of this mode, or whether the mode will be the old version with a new coat of paint, but it's refreshing to see at least a suggestion that for the first time in a long time Career Mode will be slightly different.